Creating Waves of Change: How Ember Helped a School Board Reimagine Its Future

We sat down with Curtis Ennis, Director of Education for the Halton District School Board to talk about what it felt like to collaborate with Ember and the moments that stood out most to him.

When the Halton District School Board (HDSB) set out to build its 2024–2028 multi-year strategic plan, Director of Education Curtis Ennis knew the work needed to mean something. The plan, as he puts it, is “the anchor on which everything else rests… the springboard from which we do all of our work.” 

What he didn’t expect was how energizing (and at times, transformative) the journey would feel. Working with Ember didn’t just help the board land on a new direction. It opened the door to deeper conversations, more expansive thinking, and a renewed sense of what was possible for students, staff, and the wider community. 

“Having the Ember team come in to work with us… it was life-changing,” Curtis reflected. 

Beginning the Work Together 

When Curtis first stepped into the director role, the board’s existing strategic plan was coming due. The HDSB team submitted an RFP, and Ember was selected to help shape the board’s next chapter. 

It was clear early on that this wouldn’t be a box-checking exercise. 

Curtis remembers that Ember began by encouraging the group to look beyond their current realities and imagine an ideal future for the board. Through guided exercises and open-ended questions, they were pushed to think bigger. 

“A few of the exercises Ember led us through were really designed to open our mind and open our thinking beyond what we were currently doing,” he said. “If we could envision a world that was ideal… what would it look like?” 

That mindset shift became the foundation for everything that followed. 

A New Commitment 

As the conversations evolved, one idea kept rising to the surface: the importance of belonging, connection, and the relationships that shape how students experience school. 

Eventually, this led to something no other board had included in a strategic plan; a commitment to Kindness, Connection, and Community. 

It wasn’t an easy sell at first. 

“There were folks in the room thinking, ‘How are you going to measure that? Should this even be a commitment?’” Curtis said. But once the group moved through the conversations, the value, and the need, became undeniable. 

Today, that commitment is one of the most celebrated parts of the plan. 

Schools, parents, trustees, and community members regularly comment on how meaningful it is. Curtis has even heard that other boards are now asking why they hadn’t thought of it sooner. 

“It is so impactful,” he said. “I can’t tell you how many comments I’ve heard about what that commitment has meant.” 

And early survey data is already showing signs that it’s working. 

Creating Space for Honest Conversation 

One of the clearest reflections of Ember’s values came through the way Jesse facilitated the process. 

“The Ember team had a really good way of honoring all voices,” Curtis shared. “He made everyone in the room feel like their voice mattered.” 

Whether the group was wrestling with what to keep, what to let go of, or what new commitments to imagine, people felt safe to share openly. No idea was too ambitious, too bold, or too uncertain to be voiced. 

That safety and openness helped unlock the very best thinking from staff, trustees, and leaders across the board. 

Curtis explained, “No one was limited by thinking their ideas would be shut out… Ember created the conditions that really led us to the very best product.” 

It’s a living example of Ember’s belief that meaningful change comes from honoring people, inviting curiosity, and creating space for everyone to contribute. Not from simply driving toward a predetermined outcome. 

Seeing the Ripple Effects in Real Time 

While the process was admittedly “messy” at moments and included debates, edits, and tough decisions, it wasn’t until the team stepped back that the impact really became clear. 

“It’s when we got to the end that we recognized… this is transformative,” Curtis said. 

Today, he sees the ripple effects everywhere: 

• Schools using the kindness commitment as a touchstone for culture work 

• Staff talking more openly about belonging and wellbeing 

• Community members recognizing the board’s values in action 

• Students feeling more supported, seen, and safe 

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“Students, regardless of their identity or background, can come to school and know they’re going to be in a place where they’re treated with kindness,” he shared. “That allows them to focus their energies on achievement and wellbeing.” 

This, in many ways, is the outcome that mattered most. 

A Partnership That Redefined What’s Possible 

Looking back, Curtis describes the entire experience with Ember as overwhelmingly positive. It was something that genuinely shaped the board’s future direction. 

“I didn’t have a single negative experience through that process,” he said. “It was all positive. Very positive.” 

More than the plan itself, it was the way the work was done, the way people were treated, the openness of the conversations, and the bravery of the thinking that continues to influence how his team approaches large, complex work today. 

“I’m just so grateful for that work together,” he said. 

And Ember is grateful, too, for the trust, the partnership, and the chance to help create waves of change that will shape the lives of students and families across Halton for years to come.